Ticats won't overlook Calvillo

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Markeith Knowlton and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats defence is ready for what Anthony Calvillo will throw at them Friday.

The Ticats handled Calgary Stampeders quarterback Henry Burris fairly easily a week ago and will try to do the same with Calvillo at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

“That gave us good energy and let us know where we stand and what we can do,” Knowlton said. “We’re not looking past Montreal and we know they have a good offence. But we have a pretty good defence.”

Burris had a season-low 114 passing yards last Friday as the Tiger-Cats rallied for a 24-17 victory.

Calvillo will be a bigger challenge for the Ticats, who have allowed an average of 258.3 passing yards a game, third-most in the CFL. In Kerry Watkins, Ben Cahoon and Jamel Richardson, Calvillo has three of the top nine receivers in the league as far as total yardage is concerned. And Calvillo’s 72.3% pass completion rate is the best in the CFL.

As the organization has turned it around this season, the Tiger-Cats have become a tough nut to crack at home. It’s five wins in a row and counting at Ivor Wynne, with the Ticats’ lone loss in Steeltown coming in the season opener when they were beaten by the Argonauts.

The Alouettes are the class of the CFL with at 9-2, but Hamilton can improve to 7-5 with a victory. The confidence that would come with beating the defending Grey Cup-champion Stampeders and Alouettes in back-to-back games couldn’t be over­estimated, and the Ticats would safely leave behind any idea that they’re a surprise this season.

“We’ve been building this team up and you can’t do it overnight,” said Knowlton, one of the CFL’s most effective linebackers. “But when you talk about getting over the hump, I feel like we have done that.”